Unknown Maker, Japanese

Large and small butterflies flit over bundles of reed, while on the right double-winged dragonflies hover above a latticed background. These intricate designs, carved on mulberry paper and waterproofed with persimmon tannin, enabled the production of repeated patterns on bolts of fabric. Stained with use, the butterfly stencil still retains traces of its past life as a dyer’s tool. Often surviving longer than the fabrics they helped create, stencils like these testify to evolving tastes in fashion over time. As objects of beauty, stencils also came to be appreciated by Western artists and collectors who admired their elegant craftsmanship.